Five Strangely Amusing Vintage Ads from the Arab World

Advertising is a medium that has long been a public platform for companies to show off and promote their products and services through enticing photography, stylish, illustration, and persuasive copyrighting. But every now and then you see an ad that somehow tickles you, perplexes you, or just takes you back to a simpler time.

Why not take some lovely photos… IN 3D

People have long been fascinated by the mind-blowing effects of 3D. It all started with a little thing called a stereoscope, a device developed in the early 19th century used to view two images of the same subject, one with the left-eye view, the other with the right-eye view, producing a single image with an added illusion of depth.

Fast forward to the 1950s, and people were still crazy about 3D, Arabs included. The above ad advertises the Kodak Stereo Camera, which was produced in the mid-to-late 50s and enabled users to take their very own stereoscopic images. Where have those pre-Instagram days gone?Photo via Flickr.com

Poppin’ that… “Aspirin”

Don’t get me wrong, I hate headaches as much the next person, but this lady right here… she seems way too into her “Aspirin”; disturbingly so. Most people tend to just let out a sigh of relief, but this woman is clearly experiencing much more than that.

This is the kind of face you make when having a delightful conversation with a giant talking caterpillar while lounging on enormous mushrooms and casually smoking arguilehs, waiting for that white rabbit to show up (him and his time management issues). Or maybe she’s just high on life, who’s to say…Photo via Flickr.com

Bobeye the Sailor Guy

I bet you had no idea that this spinach-flavored spaghetti product was officially endorsed by Pop- Hey, wait a minute, that’s not… Let’s just call this guy Bobeye then, Bobeye the Sailor Guy *toot toot*. We find Bobeye eagerly awaiting that plateful of spinachy spaghetti goodness, all while declaring the benefits of his meal out loud for all to know.

Fun-fact: that’s the way they had to do it before smartphones and social media came along.Photo via Flickr.com

Good ol’ fashion racism

So you’re the big cheese at the Windsor Palace hotel in Alexandria, and you want to bring in some guests: what should the ad depict? How about the luxurious hotel exterior? Maybe an inviting pool scene with attractive men and women lounging around while their children splash about in the water?

Don’t be silly. People will surely come flocking when they know they will be served by overworked dark-skin folk. There’s your ad right there. But this is a relic from a bygone era after all. Any self-respecting civilized nation present today would surely have put a stop this kind of discrimination long ago... I'm looking at you, Lebanon.Photo via Flickr.com

It’s all in the name

There isn’t much to say about this ad, but the product it advertises was a massive hit back in those days, especially with men.

“No man says no to Horlick’s” their slogan went. Married men used to sneak out of the house late at night for some Horlick’s when their wives would refuse to give them some themselves. Why even today, I myself wouldn't mind some Horlick’s every now and then… Alright, you get the idea.Photo via Flickr.com